So we had to go to Vegas a few weeks ago to buy some cars – got an R-2 Avanti and an Eldorado on the trip. But the draw of Old Vegas neon is hard to ignore.

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The Neon Museum of Las Vegas has some great signs – and this one, the famous LaConcha motel, is even lit up. This motel was right next door to the Riviera, or should I say the soon to be Imploded Riviera.

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Here’s the lobby of the LaConcha – now the lobby of the Vegas Neon Museum – moved several miles north on Las Vegas Boulevard.   I love that trippy Googie Architecture.

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And there it is back in the day, courtesy of the http://vintagelasvegas.tumblr.com/ Website . The Riviera in the background, right around the time they renovated my  room for the final time !!

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Fremont street has some new Neon, as well as some of the original stuff.

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Here’s some REAL old Vegas – the ATOMIC liquor and Cocktails.  A place where you could have watched the original above ground nuclear tests back in the 1950’s.  This is about as far down Fremont street as any tourist type ( like myself ) should go.  It gets really spooky looking any further than this, about 3 blocks east of the Fremont street experience.

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Fremont street, a little closer to civilization, a great neon sign.

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The El Cortez Hotel.  GAMBLING.   Not Gaming.  Not a resort. what do we do here?  We gamble !! Damn straight.

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An awesome display of neon.

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Another new thing on Fremont Street – the Container park, a development made from shipping containers.

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Since shipping containers are pretty boring, they spiced it up a bit with a geodesic dome and a giant praying mantis.  Who thinks of stuff like this?

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I guess the praying mantis by itself doesn’t get enough attention, so they have it shooting fire from it’s antenna.  It’s like a 1950’s SciFi movie gone horribly wrong!

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I think I’ll pay for my own burger, thanks very much!

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Back at the neon museum, here’s the Binions Horseshoe sign, lit up in Purple. The musuem people have done a great job lighting the signs that won’t light on their own.

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Some of the original Stardust sign.  That’s the place that Lefty Rosenthal ran, you know, the real guy in the movie “Casino”.  I have learned that every single person who works in Las Vegas was in the movie “Casino”, all you have to do is ask them about it!

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Another Stardust relic, the “Lido de Paris” sign.

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More Gambling. They knew what they were about back in those days!

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The Algiers.

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I think I stayed here once in College.

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A neon martini glass.

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More Stardust – a masterpiece of mid-century modern / googie design.

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wow.

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There’s the Yucca Motel sign, with our fearless tour guide telling us about it.  As well as telling me to GET OFF THE ROCKS because I might hurt myself!!  Didn’t know that looking at signs was so hazardous !

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Woo.  COLOR TV.  A selling point for your circa 1965 cheesy motel !

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And you can pay for that cheesy motel with your long defunct Carte Blanche Credit card !

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another big Casino name, the Sahara.

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A facade from Ceasar’s palace.

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Here’s a still working sign, although the sign is by far the best feature of this shopping center.

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And the not-long-for-this-world Riviera.  I can honestly say, in a burst of Old Vegas enthusiasm, I booked my stay here.  And , It’s obvious that the implosion should have occured about 20 years ago!

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Soon the Riviera will look like this – a pile of rubble.  That’s the thing about Vegas, they’re always re-inventing themselves.

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One more look at the old Vegas !

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And, the, ahh, more modern Vegas!